This week on the Ask Lifehacker podcast, we're learning how music affects your ability to work, getting great deals on mobile apps, and protecting your passwords on public Wi-Fi networks. Also, Facebook blows a billion dollars on Instagram, terms of service contracts are no longer the ironclad documents companies wanted them to be, and a whole lot more.

Sorry the episode is late this week. We had some issues getting it live yesterday, but here it is! We should be back on track for Mondays next week.

Advertisement

How to Watch or Listen to This Week's Episode

You can watch the episode by clicking the play button above, but there are plenty of other ways to get it:

News and Discussion

Advertisement

This week we're talking about Facebook's acquisition of Instagram, Google+'s new layout, a few legal issues, and the return of Ze Frank.

01:01 Facebook Buys Instagram
Last week, Facebook acquired Instagram for $8 billion. If you're not familiar with Instagram, it's a social photography app that lets you take pictures with your iOS or Android device, apply vintage filters and frames, and share them online with just a few taps. It's the most popular app of its kind, but many people are upset about this acquisition because they're concerned that Facebook will ruin Instagram. While none of us are really worried, if you want to make the switch we've compiled some alternatives for iOS and Android.

08:21 Breaking Terms of Service
You know how you always read every terms of service contract in its entirety? Even the updates? Well, you're the only one. Everyone else pretty much skims them or ignores them entirely. For those of us who don't take the time to page through the enormous documents, there's good news! Breaking a terms of service contract is no longer a crime.

11:15 WTF Is CISPA?
Remember SOPA, the bill that wanted to censor the internet? Nobody liked it, but now we have CISPA and it's being backed by big companies like Microsoft and Facebook. It's not nearly as bad as SOPA, but it's still something to keep an eye on. Thorin runs down why companies are supporting it, if you'd like to learn more.

14:23 Ze Frank Is Back
Poignant and funny internet superstar Ze Frank is back with a new show. He was best known for his daily show called The Show with Ze Frank that frequently featured tips and thoughts with a Lifehacker-y angle. As a result we're happy he's back with A Show with Ze Frank. The first few episodes are up if you want to check them out.

Questions and Answers

Advertisement

Each week we answer five questions from readers and listeners. Here's what we tackled this week.

15:52 Should I get the latest and greatest computer or buy something cheaper?
Although Pash, Whitson, and I all have powerful self-built desktop computers, we also chose the MacBook Air as our laptop because it is fast enough. Whitson has his desktop for gaming purposes, I have mine for video editing/encoding, and Pash doesn't really use his anymore. For writing and browsing, the MacBook Air is more than sufficient. This is all to say that if you don't have a reason to get a powerful computer, you're better off saving money or going for something more compact. All computers are fast nowadays. Most people can do what they want to do on an iPad. Unless you know why you need a faster machine, don't spend extra money for speed. Either put that money towards things that'll matter more—like an SSD or more RAM—or keep that money in your pocket.

19:49 Is it safe to connect to unsecured public Wi-Fi?
No. There's a greater chance that you won't run into trouble, but that doesn't mean it won't suck if you do. Protecting yourself on public Wi-Fi is actually pretty simple. For the most part, you just have to use HTTPS when transferring sensitive information through the web browser (HTTPS Everywhere is a browser extension for Firefox and Chrome that makes this much easier) and make sure you're not providing unsecured network access to your computer. For added safety, set up Hamachi for secure browsing when you're on public networks.

23:49 What can I do about the tiny amount of internal storage (150MB) on my Android device?
Some Android phones just don't have a lot of internal storage and rely on the microSD card to do all the work. BUT, if you want to find out what's taking up space on your device you can just jump into your settings and go to the storage section. (The exact location of your storage info will depend on the version of Android you're using and, potentially, how your device's manufacturer has altered it.) If you find that your internal storage is filled with stuff you don't want or could put on your microSD card instead, you can always move it with pretty much any Android file browser app—including the one that likely came with your device.

26:31 How can I automatically convert videos I download with BitTorrent using Dropfolders and Handbrake?
If you're not familiar, Handbrake is a video conversion tool that takes virtually any input video and spits out an H.264 MP4 file. Dropfolders is a Windows application that watches for video files and automatically adds them to Handbrake to be converted. The person asking this question wants to automatically move videos downloaded by BitTorrent into a drop folder as soon as they complete so they'll be automatically converted to MP4 format by Handbrake. This can be done easily with an application called Belvedere. Mac users can do the same thing with Hazel.

Advertisement

29:06 Should I listen to music when studying/working and, if so, what music?
This often comes down to opinion and what works best for you. Most of us listen to music when working, and the type of music differs. Pash has a variety of tunes, Whitson listens to heavy metal and dubstep (which seems entirely counterintuitive but it works for him), and Thorin and I usually go for instrumental music/soundtracks during work because there are no lyrics, although that's only if I do listen to music in the first place. I tend to start dissecting the arrangements so I prefer silence. Basically, none of us are there same so you have to choose what works best for you.

But as for the science behind work/studying and music, it doesn't really help. There isn't any particular music that's going to actually help you concentrate or think better, but if certain songs get you excited and motivated you should definitely use those to get you started. That said, music can help you concentrate if you're in a noisy environment because it's blocking out the more distracting noise. So if you're working or studying in a coffee shop, for example, you'll want to bring a pair of headphones along. Overall, the best option is to use a white/brown/pink/etc. noise generator like the free one at SimplyNoise. That'll block out distractions best of all.

Downloads of the Week

Each week we talk about our favorite downloads. Here are our picks for this week.

Advertisement

WinPlusX (Windows)
If you're a Windows tweak addict, you probably use tools like the Registry, Computer Management, Disk Management, and Power Options often-apps that are extremely useful, but don't always have obvious or quick shortcuts in the Start Menu. WinPlusX puts them one keyboard shortcut away.

Flashback Tool
The Flashback Trojan infected a whole bunch of Mac users over the past few weeks. If you want to detect if you have it and remove it without much trouble, Flashback Tool will do the trick. Once you're free of Flashback (if you aren't already), be sure to install Apple's official Java update to patch the vulnerability.

Morning Routine (Android)
People clearly have trouble getting up in the morning despite their alarm clock, which is why Morning Routine and other apps exist to make it difficult to actually turn off the alarm. Some require you to shake your device and others will shred money, but Morning Routine forces you to scan a barcode or two (on items in your pantry or refrigerator, for example). This requires you to concentrate enough to keep the camera steady and forces you to get out of bed—unless, of course, you start keeping cereal boxes on your nightstand.

Getting Great Deals on Apps
Apps are great, but they can get expensive if you keep buying every one that interests you. Last week Thorin looked at how you can watch for great deals so you're never paying full price for your apps. It probably won't save you a ton of money if you're looking to get a discount on cheap apps, but you can save a lot on pricey apps by knowing when to look for sales.

Using Your iPad as a Creative Tool
Last week, Thorin wrote a post on how the iPad can be used as a creative tool. He spoke with creative professionals, such as Jim Guthrie (who composed the music for the great game Sword and Sworcery EP) who've added it to their workflow. If you've wanted to make your iPad more of a content creation tool and less of a consumption device, definitely check out this post.

Please keep your questions as brief as possible. This means about 3-5 sentences for emails and 30-60 seconds for calls and videos. Your questions can be specific, but broader questions are generally better because they'll apply to more people. For example, "how can I breathe new life into my old PDA?" is much better than "what can I do with an old HP iPAQ 210?" Either way, we look forward to hearing from you!